Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio slams abuse of council workers after release of ‘sickening’ video

Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio has called footage of council staff being verbally abuse and spat on “sickening”, launching a new campaign to combat the growing number of incidents.

A swimming pool attendant being spat on and a parking inspector facing a barrage of verbal assault are just two of the dozens of abusive cases reported by Toowoomba Regional Council staff.

A sharp increase in the number of incidents has prompted the council to launch a massive education campaign for the public, which Mayor Paul Antonio hopes will reverse the “sickening” trend.

“A number of abuses have been (reported) over the past couple of years of our staff,” he said.

“I’ve seen some video this morning of some of the incidents, and frankly it is sickening that our staff have to put up with this as they do their job.

“I just hope this campaign is a successful one, and that the community understands the important role that our employees play in delivering the vision of the council.”

Along with a series of ads, the council also released to media a bodycam video of a parking inspector being abused by a car owner on Margaret St.

The TRC revealed 20 incidents abuse of staff were reported last year, with 187 cases lodged since 2015.

Council CEO Brian Pidgeon said it was disappointing to see workers being attacked for doing their jobs.

“This is about getting on the front foot and getting the public to understand that they are people and trying to do jobs to the best of their abilities,” he said.

“We’ve had assaults, people spitting on staff, verbal abuse.

“I think there’s a potential for people to think that as a ratepayer, they have some ownership over a person, but that’s not correct.

“It disappoints me, but doesn’t shock me.”

For more information about the campaign, head to tr.qld.gov.au.